Tag: FTC

Despite the efforts of the FTC to stop unwanted calls with the Do Not Call registry, many consumers are still receiving calls from a number of spam and scam callers who are violating the rules of the list.

As these illegal calls begin to increase, Apple’s new iOS 10 has given third-party apps, like Hiya, the ability to help iPhone users identify and automatically block spam and scam callers quickly.

Texoma’s showcases Hiya and the features we can now provide to iPhone users, thanks to iOS 10. Click on the video below to learn how Hiya has been identifying 400 million phone calls each day and has detected 1 billion spam threats to help consumers block unwanted calls immediately:

Bust out your party hats because Hiya is giving out a party favor for all ages. Did someone say pop-rocks???!! No. BETTER.

In order to keep our spam protection at its finest, Hiya has integrated the FCC and FTC’s phone complaint lists into our existing database of spammers. Having these two power houses, both highly trusted in the phone spam industry, is incredible. Plus, it solidifies what we already knew: our coverage is solid. How? Great question. Glad you asked. More than 70% of the numbers reported to the FCC and FTC were already flagged by our own detection service. [Self high five].

However, that doesn’t mean that our improvement train has reached the end of the line. The FCC and FTC issue weekly and biweekly updates to their lists. Therefore, their reports will be continuously integrated into our service (Hiya) and into your lovely hands. On average, the combination of the two lists provides Hiya an additional 7,000 U.S. numbers every two weeks to add to our already solid spam database. Simply put, that means more coverage for our users.

This is just one of the steps that Hiya has taken to directly vet and use third party phone spam information to improve the user experience. Don’t worry, we’re not taking away the power from the people; you can help too! If any of those spammers comes a callin’ (rude), we encourage you to report it through the FTC Complaint Assistant, FCC Complaint Board or Hiya. Either way, we’ll get it, we’ll mark it, and we’ll take it down like pop rocks at a 2nd grade birthday party.

Update: Earlier in June, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) recently introduced the ROBOCOP Act into the Senate. The ROBOCOP Act would direct the FCC to require that telephone service providers offer their customers free, optional robocall-blocking technology.

If you’ve been caught at home sick with the flu and are just hoping to get a full day of rest, you aren’t the only one. Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco/San Mateo Counties) thought she could too.

Unfortunately, what she planned as a day to rehabilitate after a bout with the flu, became a day that drove her up the wall as she was abruptly interrupted not once, but a number of times by phone calls not from well-wishing friends, but from persistent robocalls.

“Every time I dozed off, the phone would ring,” Speier told the LA Times. “And it wasn’t’ a friend calling. It was a robocall.”

Speier was so annoyed of the unwanted calls that it led her to cancel her AT&T landline. But it also hit her that, it shouldn’t have been up to her to have to take such drastic measures to stop the aggravating robocalls. To keep customers happy, she felt it was up to telephone companies to protect their customers from such problematic callers.

Despite individuals registering to the National Do Not Call Registry (DNC), robocalls have figured out how to fly under the radar and weasel their way around the DNC’s regulations and $16,000 fine.

We’ve all experienced Speier’s pain, whether it be during dinner, a tv show, or just when we’re trying to get some peace and quiet, and unfortunately, these calls aren’t just costing us our patience. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) who received over 3 million complaints about these types of calls last year, phone users are losing more than $350 million a year to phone scams, which include robocalls.

In response to her restless afternoon, Speier is putting her foot down and attempting to give us all a break. She’s decided to use her governmental leverage to provide people across the nation with uninterrupted moments to themselves.

This past April, Speier introduced the Repeated Objectionable Bothering of Consumers on Phones Act, shortened as the ROBOCOP Act. The piece of legislation will “require telecom companies to offer consumers free optional robocall-blocking technology. The legislation is supported by Consumers Union and the Consumer Federation of America” states a press release from Speier’s office.

“This bill will ensure that phone companies take action and provide consumers with the tools they need to stop being harassed by unwanted calls that ring day and night,” said Tim Marvin, head of the End Robocalls campaign for Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports.

But while we’re crossing our fingers for the ROBOCOP Act to come into full effect, it would still be wise to register your landline and mobile phone number on the DNC list along with downloading the Hiya app for double protection, if you haven’t already. Hiya has automated spam alerts warning you of unfamiliar numbers and if they have a high potential for fraud. This will allow you to screen your calls and prevent unwanted robocalls to ring through and ruin what should be a relaxing day.